Former Man Utd goalkeeper impressed by Andre Onana's mental strength

Onana signed for the Red Devils from Inter in July 2023, to replace David De Gea. His arrival was met with some scepticism, and his critics grew louder as the season wore on, due to the gloveman's high-profile errors.

However, Lindegaard, who made 29 appearances for United, believes Onana's critics have been too eager to pile the blame on the 28-year-old, and that he will rise to the challenge in the upcoming campaign.

"I think Onana has done very well, in terms of handling it [the pressure]," Lindegaard told the club's official website.

"I think he got a lot of criticism. I think he got too much as well. People should try to understand what it is that he was brought to Manchester United for.

"He was not brought to Manchester United to just make world-class saves and bail the team out, as we have been used to a little bit with David De Gea.

"He was brought to Manchester United because he has world-class feet. He is a top-three goalkeeper in the planet with his feet in terms of distribution, in terms of passing the ball out, setting up play.

"You can't expect him to dominate the boxes like Thibaut Courtois. You can't expect him to make as many fingertip saves as David De Gea. That is their best ability and where they are the best in the world.

"Yet we can expect him to be world class with his feet. But he can't do that without the help of his team. It is a lot easier to make world-class fingertip saves just by yourself.

"But playing out from the back is not just about you, it is about the team in front of you as well. So the team needs to be set up and have the right players to do that.

"At the end of the day, the fact he has overcome the amount of criticism he has faced is a testament to his mental strength. He's got a very strong head. The fact he can overcome it is remarkable and really impressive and I salute that.

"I think he found himself in a good place and a good state by the end of the season and I can assure you that he will have been a lot stronger by the end of the season than he was at the start.

"He has taken in a lot of experience that is going to benefit him for his further career at Manchester United. I just hope he is given the chance to really showcase how brilliant he is with his feet." 

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